Alice – ?Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
The Cheshire Cat – “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”
Alice – “I don’t much care where ?”
The Cheshire Cat – “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.
From Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
I don’t think that Alice is the only person who thinks that way, a number of business people would have a very similar answer if you ask them ‘Where do you see your business in 3, 4, 5 or more years time?”
Having no destination in mind for your business is very similar to jumping into a taxi and asking the driver to take you somewhere. The amount of money you would spend on that journey could be infinite, is that how you choose to live your life and run your business?
The more accurately you describe destination the cheaper the fare will be.
In business and life the more clarity you have about your destination the faster you are able to get there.
It is really easy to start a business and then get so busy serving your clients that you don’t stop to think about where you want to take it. You would be very hard pressed to read any autobiography of a successful person or a personal development book without a mention of setting goals or having an idea about your destination.
‘The E-myth – Why Most Small Businesses Fail’ by Michael Gerber suggests that you have a vision of how the business looks when it is finished, i.e. when you are ready to sell it or when you are ready to retire. Stephen Covey in ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ has a whole chapter dedicated to the Habit of ‘Beginning with the End in Mind’.
Both books support the theory that knowing your destination gets you on the way to the success you choose. If you haven’t already, may I suggest that you take some time and think about what is your definition of your success is?
If this is an issue you have always struggled with then I am more than happy to be your sounding board.
Drop me a line brian@oldsite.mpgrowth.co.uk or call on 01933 270918
